L’Esame di Stato

La parte dell’Esame di Stato riguardante la lingua inglese comprende una prova scritta e una prova orale.Le tipologie di esercizi per la prova scritta sono solitamente quattro:• questionario riguardante un testo (Reading comprehension);• composizione di un dialogo su traccia (Dialogue writing);• riassunto di un articolo (Summary);• composizione di una lettera o di un’email (Letter/Email writing).

Lo studente deve scegliere una di queste tipologie fra le due che gli verranno proposte. Avrà a disposizione un dizionario bilingue e un massimo di tre ore per completare la prova.

1 READING COMPREHENSIONUna delle tipologie di esame che potranno essere proposte durante la prova scritta è quella di rispondere a domande di comprensione su un testo. Ecco alcuni consigli da poter fornire agli studenti per affrontare la prova al meglio.

• Innanzitutto leggere il titolo e cercare di individuare di cosa parla il testo.• Leggere velocemente l’articolo e tentare di capirne il senso generale.• Leggere le domande per sapere quali informazioni cercare e per non disperdere l’attenzione in informazioni non

richieste (identificare la parola chiave della domanda, cercare la parola o un sinonimo nel testo, confrontare domanda e testo ed elaborare la risposta).

• Se lo studente non riesce a rispondere ad una domanda, meglio che non perda tempo inutilmente e che passi a quella successiva. Le domande talvolta seguono la scansione del testo. Quando avrà terminato le altre risposte, probabilmente sarà più facile per lui capire in quale punto del brano si trova l’informazione che gli manca.

•Rileggere attentamente il brano e cercare di dedurre il significato delle parole che non si conoscono dal contesto. Se lo studente non riesce a capirle dal contesto, cercare allora i termini sul dizionario.

•Quando verrà chiesta un’opinione, fornire sempre una spiegazione utilizzando per esempio le espressioni because, I think that e in my opinion.

• In generale, evitare di ricopiare parti del testo senza rielaborarle. Usare parole e strutture semplici.•Non fornire informazioni che non vengono richieste.• Se viene fatta una domanda personale, usare strutture grammaticali che sono note. Evitare di tradurre letteralmente

dall’italiano. Non rispondere solo sì/no alle domande ma tentare di dare una risposta completa.•Quando lo studente avrà finito, dovrà assicurarsi:

- di aver risposto a tutte le domande;- di aver usato i tempi verbali corretti (solitamente il tempo della domanda e quello della risposta coincidono,

ma per sicurezza controllare gli ausiliari);- di aver usato correttamente la concordanza soggetto / verbo;- di non aver fatto errori di ortografia;- di aver dato risposte complete.

2 DIALOGUE WRITINGÈ possibile che venga chiesto allo studente di scrivere o di completare un dialogo, seguendo alcune istruzioni (in inglese o in italiano).Ecco alcuni consigli da poter fornire allo studente nel caso gli venisse richiesto di scrivere un dialogo:

• In preparazione all’esame, fare una lista dei vocaboli e delle espressioni che potrebbero essere utili (che esprimono per esempio accordo / disaccordo, che aiutano a riferire l’opinione dello studente, a dare un suggerimento o a parlare di esperienze ed eventi…).

•Prima di iniziare a scrivere, pensare a quali tempi verbali e funzioni dovranno essere usate.• Evitare di tradurre letteralmente dall’italiano e fare attenzione a non allontanarsi dalla traccia.• Se non vengono forniti nella traccia, decidere i nomi dei personaggi.• Se viene fornita una descrizione generale di quello che dovrà essere il dialogo, prima di iniziare a scrivere, evidenziare

le parti che dovranno essere utilizzate nel dialogo e cercare di capire quali frasi sono sottintese.•Cercare di collegare bene i discorsi dei due interlocutori per far sì che il dialogo proceda in modo scorrevole. Evitare

risposte brevi tipo “yes/no”.• Se viene fornita una traccia precisa, usare tutte le informazioni che vengono date e non aggiungerne di nuove. Fare

attenzione a non cambiare l’ordine delle battute.

•Alla fine rileggere più volte solo il dialogo in inglese e controllare ogni volta un aspetto diverso (ortografia, grammatica, tempi verbali, scorrevolezza ed aderenza alla traccia, corrispondenza tra domanda e risposta). Quindi, rileggere la traccia e assicurarsi di aver inserito nel dialogo tutto ciò che veniva richiesto.

Nel caso invece venisse richiesto allo studente di completare un dialogo, ecco alcuni consigli utili per prepararsi al meglio:

•Prima di decidere cosa inserire, leggere bene il testo che precede e che segue lo spazio da completare e quando si inserisce una parola o un’espressione, assicurarsi che abbia un nesso logico con il resto del discorso.

•Attenzione alla punteggiatura, che permette di capire che tipo di frase bisogna scrivere (punto, punto di domanda, punto esclamativo).

•Rileggere attentamente le espressioni che sono state inserite.

3 SUMMARYIl riassunto è un’altra delle prove che potrebbero essere sottoposte allo studente. Ecco qualche suggerimento per scrivere un riassunto:

• Leggere attentamente tutto il brano e cercare di capirne bene il significato.• Evidenziare le frasi che contengono le informazioni principali.•Cercare di aver chiari i seguenti punti: CHI agisce, COSA fa, DOVE avviene l’azione, COME, QUANDO e PERCHÉ.• Trovare le congiunzioni adatte per collegare le frasi che sono state evidenziate e assicurarsi di unire i concetti in modo

corretto e logico.• Evitare di riscrivere il testo copiando l’originale parola per parola (più la produzione risulterà rielaborata in modo

personale, migliore sarà il testo). Apportare modifiche ovunque possibile, ad esempio: sostituire i nomi con dei pronomi, cambiare l’ordine delle parole, usare sinonimi, eventualmente trasformare il discorso da diretto a indiretto.

•Alla fine controllare il riassunto (tempi verbali, soggetti, ortografia). Assicurarsi della fluidità di quanto è stato scritto e di non aver dimenticato alcun punto fondamentale del testo. La lunghezza di un riassunto è pari ad un terzo di quella del testo originale.

4 LETTER WRITINGÈ possibile che venga chiesto di scrivere una lettera informale. Ecco alcuni suggerimenti:

•Prima di iniziare, leggere accuratamente le istruzioni (che potranno essere in inglese o in italiano) e fare attenzione a inserire tutto ciò che viene richiesto. Ricordarsi che, trattandosi di un testo informale, possono essere usate forme colloquiali e contrazioni.

•Assicurarsi che la lettera rispecchi la struttura: indirizzo / data / mittente / apertura della lettera / corpo della lettera / ecc. Suddividere il corpo della lettera in paragrafi, ognuno dei quali svilupperà un argomento della traccia.

•Una volta terminata la lettera, accertarsi di aver seguito attentamente le istruzioni e di non aver tralasciato i punti fondamentali (indirizzo, data, ecc.) e che la propria esposizione sia chiara. Durante l’ultima rilettura, verificare la grammatica, l’ortografia e la punteggiatura.

5 LA PROVA ORALELa prova orale può consistere in una breve esposizione durante il colloquio interdisciplinare preparato dallo studente per tutte le materie. Per l’inglese, lo studente può esporre un argomento di civiltà, oppure commentare documenti autentici o parlare della propria realtà collegandosi alla materia precedente, sviluppando il discorso in modo personale, e concludendo con un collegamento alla materia seguente.

Inoltre l’insegnante, durante la prova orale, potrebbe porre allo studente alcune domande di natura personale, su argomenti quali la famiglia, la scuola, i suoi interessi e hobby, le vacanze, lo sport, il luogo in cui abita.Oppure l’insegnante può mostrare allo studente un’immagine e chiedergli di descriverla, oppure due immagini e chiedergli di compararle.

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A flood is a natural event when an area of dry land gets covered in water. A combination of heavy rain, which makes rivers or seas overflow, and the nature of the surrounding landscape can increase the risk of flooding – in particular the type of river banks, the number of trees or plants growing nearby, the presence of a drainage area for the water to flow away to, and the amount of water that the rocks and soil absorb are all factors which determine how bad the flooding is.

Most floods develop gradually, as the rainwater fills rivers and spreads onto floodplains, the land at the side of it; or when storms or big waves bring water from the sea onto the land. But flash floods happen suddenly, without warning and they can be very dangerous.

Flooding can have a devastating effect on people’s lives. It can cause damage to homes and possessions, bring down power lines and cut off electricity and phone lines. It can also impact transport by flooding roads, bridges, railway lines or airports. And it can damage health if waste from houses, offices and factories, pollutes a city’s clean water system. The long-term economic effects on businesses can also be very serious. In the country, farming communities are vulnerable to floods especially if they have changed their land’s natural flood defences to farm intensively. The consequences can be loss of crops, animals, earnings. Wildlife habitats are also damaged or destroyed by floodwater, and fast flowing water can pollute when it comes into contact with toxic substances.

Reading comprehension

1 Read the text and answer the questions.

1 What are floods?

2 Which factors can influence how bad a flood is?

3 How quickly does land flood?

4 Why can flooding have a devastating effect on people’s lives?

5 Which long-term effects of flooding can be serious?

6 Who is vulnerable to the effects of flooding and what can be the consequences?

7 How do people die as a result of flooding?

8 Why isn’t flooding all bad?

9 What are the main causes of floods?

10 What are the different strategies for preventing flood damage?

In extreme cases, flooding can lead to loss of life. Floods can be so powerful that they carry heavy objects or parts of damaged buildings which can kill or hurt the people in their path.

But flooding isn’t all bad. The deposits of flood water on floodplains can be full of valuable nutrients which make soil very fertile to grow crops on. And flood water can be contained in man-made reservoirs to keep a supply of water during droughts or drier periods.

One of the main causes of flooding is a lack of maintenance at a local, regional and national level. So often river beds aren’t cleaned out, river banks aren’t strengthened, there is too much deforestation and building on green land, with houses and buildings too close to river courses.

There are many different strategies to prevent flood damage; these include conserving natural environments and planting trees, limiting urban development on floodplains and protecting coastal and riverbank areas. And early flood warnings help people prepare for flooding, by protecting their properties or moving away until the risk has passed.

FloodsEsame di Stato

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Summary

3 Prepare a brief summary about flooding. Remember to include the following information.

• what it is and what causes it

• what can determine how bad it is

• what the positive and negative effects of flooding are

• what can be done to prevent it

Dialogue writing

2 Imagine you are interviewing a representative of the UK Environment Agency. Follow the instructions and write the dialogue.

Representative You of the UK EA

Letter writing

4 Imagine you have just interviewed the representative of the UK Environment Agency. Write an email to a friend and tell him / her what the Environment Agency does. Give information about how they predict floods, what they do to prevent them and what they consider to be the main dangers of flooding.

Salutala e di’ che sei molto contento di intervistarla. Chiedile qual è il suo lavoro.

Domandale quali sono le sue responsabilità a lavoro.

Domandale come sa che sta per verificarsi un’alluvione.

Domandale cosa si fa per arrestare lo straripamento (overflowing) di un fiume.

Domandale quali sono gli effetti peggiori delle alluvioni.

Domandale quali consigli darebbe alle persone che ricevono un’allerta (alert).

Risponde al saluto e dice che lavora per l’Agenzia ambientale britannica.

Risponde che è responsabile della previsione delle alluvioni e che deve dare l’allarme (give warning).

Risponde che si seguono le previsioni del tempo e si misura la quantità d’acqua che c’è nei fiumi e il loro livello.

Risponde che si piantano degli alberi in riva ai fiumi e si proteggono le case nelle zone a rischio.

Risponde che le persone possono annegare e possono perdere le loro case.

Risponde che dovrebbero mettere le loro famiglie e gli animali domestici al sicuro.

Workshop 1

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Reading comprehension

1 Read the text and answer the questions.

1 What is vamping?

2 Why is it so called?

3 What do some experts think vamping is an expression of?

4 What was our parents’ version of vamping in the past according to the writer?

5 Why do other experts believe that nighttime is the only time for young people to interact freely?

6 What negative effects could vamping have on our health?

7 How does peer pressure lead to vamping?

8 Which is the most worrying group of ‘vampers’ according to this article?

9 What should parents do to stop their children vamping?

10 What do they need to realise in the writer’s opinion?

VampingVamping is the teenage trend of using social media sites, chat rooms, streaming films and music videos online, or using smartphones late at night when your parents think you are asleep in bed.

The phenomenon is called ‘vamping’ because it makes young people behave like vampires, coming alive after dark and then falling asleep in the daytime because they’re too tired to stay awake. Some experts believe that vamping is just another expression of teenage rebellion, doing something your parents told you not to. So maybe it’s no different to when your parents used to go downstairs to watch TV in the middle of the night, use the home phone after everybody was in bed, or go out to meet friends without permission, leaving pillows under the covers to make it look like they were still there! Other experts suggest that in a world where a teenager’s life is so structured with activities, this is the only time of the day when they are able to interact freely with one another without adult supervision.

But there are fears that vamping actually has a darker more damaging side to it, just like a vampire’s bite. First there are the negative effects on our minds and bodies of not getting enough sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation teenagers should get between eight and nine hours’ sleep every night. If they don’t, they can feel tired and irritable, they may have difficulty concentrating on their school work and research has also linked a lack of sleep to getting skin and eye problems, becoming obese and depressed.

The American Academy of Pediatricians has even proposed starting the school day at 9 o’clock to allow students to catch up on their sleep, after a survey showed that half of young people between 15 and 17 missed up to 90 minutes sleep a night due to vamping. But maybe it would just be better if they turned off their electronic gadgets and went to bed earlier.

The other problem is ‘peer pressure’, i.e. the influence that other people of your own age and social group have on what you do. Many teenagers claim that they start vamping in order to appear cool with their friends; sharing a photo, a tweet or a message at 2 a.m. on a school night shows how rebellious you are. Others just can’t resist the temptation of having their tablets, smartphones or computers in their bedrooms at night and not using them. And then there’s a third, more worrying, group of teenagers who find it easier to live in the virtual world than they do in the real world.

So what should parents do to combat vamping? Well, they should set a good example and stop using their own electronic gadgets after 10 o’clock at night. They should encourage their children to keep tablets, laptops and smartphones out of the bedroom. And they should explain the long-term health risks related to vamping. But they should also realise that teenagers need time and space to interact with people their own age. That’s how they work out who they are and what they want to do in life.

Esame di Stato

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Summary

3 Prepare a brief summary about vamping. Remember to include the following information.

• what it is and why it is called that

• how it is similar or different to what people did

in the past

• what the potential risks of vamping are

• why people do it

• how you can stop doing it

Letter writing

4 Imagine you have just interviewed an American teenager about his vamping habits. Write an email to a friend and tell him / her about it. Say what your American friend does, how often and why he does it. Remember to include information about the negative effects on his life. Tell your friend what you think about vamping and whether or not you do it.

Dialogue writing

2 Imagine you are interviewing an American teenager. Follow the instructions and write the dialogue. Imagine you are interviewing an American teenager. Follow the instructions and write the dialogue.

You American teenager

Salutalo e domandagli quanti anni ha.

Domandagli se fa vamping e quando lo fa.

Domandagli cosa fa.

Domandagli se i suoi genitori sanno che fa vamping.

Domandagli perché fa vamping.

Domandagli se ha notato qualche effetto negativo.

Risponde al saluto e dice che ha quindici anni.

Risponde di sì e aggiunge che di solito lo fa durante il fine settimana fra la mezzanotte e le due di notte.

Risponde che di solito manda messaggi ai suoi amici e guarda video su YouTube.

Risponde di no, perché usa il telefonino sotto le coperte.

Risponde che è un ottimo modo per tenersi in contatto con gli amici.

Risponde di sì. Il giorno dopo si sente stanco. Per questo lo fa soltanto durante il fine settimana.

Workshop 2

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Reading comprehension

1 Read the text and answer the questions.

1 Who is Richard Branson?

2 What did his Head Teacher tell him just before he left school at 16?

3 How many companies are there in the Virgin Group and in how many countries?

4 What kind of companies are Virgin Money and Virgin Galactic?

5 Why was school life so difficult for Branson?

6 How did teachers judge him?

7 What was his first successful company?

8 Why does Richard Branson believe his dyslexia helped him become a successful businessman?

9 How does he use his dyslexia in advertising campaigns?

10 What is his advice to young people with dyslexia or other learning difficulties?

The Virgin EntrepreneurSir Richard Branson is one of Britain’s richest and most successful entrepreneurs. Just before he left school at 16, with no real qualifications, his Head Teacher told him: ‘You will either go to prison or become a millionaire’. Fortunately he became a billionaire! Today there are more than 400 companies in 30 countries in his Virgin Group. They include: Virgin Atlantic, an airline company; Virgin Money, a bank; Virgin Media, a phone, internet and TV company; Virgin Radio, an international radio station; Virgin Trains, in the UK; and even Virgin Galactic, a space tourism company.

Branson’s father was a lawyer and his mother was an air hostess and they tried hard to help Richard and his two sisters grow up happily. But school life was very difficult for Richard because he was dyslexic. This meant he couldn’t read or write properly. He was very embarrassed about this and often used his memory if he had to speak in public. He couldn’t always follow lessons, as he became easily distracted and his teachers thought he was just lazy. They didn’t understand how dyslexia can affect a student’s ability to learn. They judged him only on his bad test results and not on his ability and passion for sport or his natural business sense. Branson tried and failed to start a company growing Christmas trees and raising pet birds, before he and a friend set up a student magazine at the age of 17. The first edition sold $8,000 of advertising. Then Branson started a mail-order record company called Virgin to help raise money for the magazine. It was soon so successful that he opened the first Virgin Record shop in

London and then a recording studio in Oxfordshire. The Virgin Records label signed artists like the Rolling Stones, Genesis, Simple Minds and the Spice Girls.

Richard Branson believes that having dyslexia actually helped him become a successful business man. In fact, he says: ‘As an entrepreneur, I learned that surrounding myself with people who were better than me at specific tasks put me at an advantage because I was free to focus on the things I was good at.’ He also uses his dyslexia to test his company’s advertising campaigns. If he is able to quickly understand the message behind the advert, then he believes it is accessible to most people.

Richard Branson is also well-known for his spirit of adventure. He has crossed the Atlantic by boat in a record-breaking time and crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in a hot-air balloon.

His advice to young people with dyslexia or other learning difficulties is to ‘vary your activities and interests so that you can uncover your strengths.’

Esame di Stato

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Summary

3 Prepare a brief summary about Richard Branson. Remember to include the following information.

• why he is famous

• what life was like for him growing up

• how he became a successful businessman

• his other activities outside business

Letter writing

4 Imagine you have just interviewed Richard Branson. Write an email to a friend and tell him / her about his incredible life. Give information about his school, the difficulties he had, how he tried to hide them and how it helped him become a successful entrepreneur. Remember to include the strategies he adopted to combat his dyslexia. Tell your friend what you think about Branson and his success and how you think teachers should help people with dyslexia.

Dialogue writing

2 Imagine you are interviewing Richard Branson. Follow the instructions and write the dialogue.

You Richard Branson

Saluta e di’ che sei molto contento di intervistarlo. Domandagli che lavoro fa.

Domandagli che tipo di imprese ci sono nel Virgin Group.

Domandagli che scuola ha frequentato e se gli è piaciuta.

Domandagli che tipo di problemi aveva a scuola.

Domandagli cosa ha fatto per cercare di nascondere le sue difficoltà.

Ringrazialo per l’intervista.

Risponde al saluto e dice che è a capo del Virgin Group.

Risponde che ci sono: Virgin Money, una banca; Virgin Atlantic, una compagnia aerea; Virgin Media, un’impresa di telefonia, internet e TV e Virgin Galactic, un’impresa di turismo spaziale.

Risponde che andava alla Stowe Independent School e che non gli piaceva.

Risponde che trovava difficoltà nel leggere e nello scrivere e non riusciva a concentrarsi.

Risponde che cercava di concentrarsi sulle cose in cui era bravo, come lo sport e gli affari.

Risponde che è stato un piacere.

Workshop 3

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Reading comprehension

1 Read the text and choose the correct option (A, B or C).

1 Kilis refugee camp is on the border between Syria and…

A Jordan. B Lebanon. C Turkey.

2 … refugees live there.

A About 15,000 B Less than 15,000 C More than 15,000

3 Why doesn’t the writer think it looks like somewhere you would like to live?

A Because of the barbed wire. B Because of the high gates. C For both those reasons.

4 Who described it recently as the ‘nicest refugee camp in the world’?

A a Turkish politician B an international diplomat C the UN Secretary General

Kilis Refugee CampThe refugee camp in Kilis, on the Turkish-Syrian border, is home to about 15,000 Syrian refugees. From the outside it doesn’t look like somewhere you would like to live. There are high gates and walls with barbed wire on top and there are police and security guards everywhere you look.

But although the refugees who live there were forced to leave Syria because of the terrible war, it was described recently by an international diplomat as the ‘nicest refugee camp in the world’. You scan a security pass to enter and then go through metal detectors, just like those at the airport. Once inside, you are in a clean, tidy and organised camp, where people don’t live in tents but in lockable containers; with hot water, a cooker, a fridge and a TV connected to a satellite dish. In the streets too there are powered street lights and fire extinguishers to help residents feel safe.

There is a free camp laundry service, for use twice a week; an activity centre, to learn to make clothes; and even a beauty salon! Each family is given a food token every fortnight, so they can choose what food they want to buy at the World Food Programme market in the middle of the camp. Refugees are also free to leave the camp and visit the nearby town of Kilis when they want to.

There are three schools in the camp for its 7,000 children, which they can attend until they are 16. The walls of the schools are brightly decorated with Disney characters,

there are play areas and the children can receive counselling for the trauma they have experienced. But the teachers are all unpaid volunteers and they have a difficult job helping so many children who are suffering from the psychological effects of war. Some are quiet and introverted; others can’t stop talking about bombs and explosions; many feel nervous and afraid, especially when they continue to hear the fighting in the distance.

Despite their terrible past experiences, the Kilis refugees are lucky; not only because they have escaped the war in Syria, but because they are living in a well-run refugee camp. Some say this is because it isn’t funded by the UNHCR and run by lots of NGOs, fighting to provide resources; it is, in fact, run by Turkish government employees, with only a few NGOs supporting them.

You could say that Turkey is trying to treat their refugees well. But the refugees point out that as nice as it is, it is still only a temporary solution. Not even the children born in the camp have Turkish passports, there are no paid jobs and there is very little to do every day.

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5 How do you enter the camp?

A By scanning a security pass. B Nobody is allowed in or out. C Using a key.

6 Where do people live in the camp?

A in caravans B in lockable containers C in tents

7 What services and activities are there in the camp?

A a bingo hall and a swimming pool B a cafe and a restaurant C a salon and a laundry service

8 Who can attend the camp schools?

A anybody B children up to 12 C children up to 16

Summary

3 Prepare a brief summary about Kilis refugee camp. Remember to include the following information.

• where it is and who lives in it

• why it is considered the ‘nicest refugee camp in the world’

• what the refugees living there can and can’t do

• what particular problems children living there have

Letter writing

4 Imagine you have just interviewed Fatima. Write an email to a friend and tell him / her about her life in the refugee camp. Give information about where she is from, why she is living there, how she describes the refugee camp, what she misses about her home country, what she hopes for the future.

Dialogue writing

2 Imagine you are interviewing a Syrian refugee. Follow the instructions and write the dialogue.

You

Saluta e di’ che sei molto contento di intervistarla. Domandale come si chiama.

Domandale da dove viene e dove vive ora.

Domandale perché.

Domandale com’è il campo profughi dove vive.

Domandale cosa le manca del suo paese.

Domandale cosa spera per il futuro.

A refugee

Risponde al saluto e dice che si chiama Fatima.

Risponde che è originaria della Syria, ma vive in un campo profughi ora.

Risponde che la sua famiglia ha dovuto lasciare il suo paese per scappare dalla guerra.

Risponde che è pulito e organizzato. Vivono in dei container e vanno a scuola tutti i giorni.

Risponde che le manca vedere i suoi amici e avere la propria stanza.

Risponde che spera che la guerra finisca presto.

Workshop 4

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Reading comprehension

1 Read the text and answer the questions.

1 Who is Andy Murray?

2 Which big tennis competitions has he won?

3 Where and when was he born?

4 Why could life be different for Andy Murray?

5 What is his middle name and what does it mean?

6 Who are the other sporty members of Andy Murray’s family and what do they do?

7 How did Andy’s first coach describe him and how did he explain this?

8 Why has Andy Murray had a bad image?

9 What improved his image a little?

10 Why does the writer think he’s admired by so many people?

Andy MurrayAndy Murray is Britain’s most successful tennis player since professional competitions began. He has won the US Open, Wimbledon and the Olympic singles title and reached many Gran Slam finals.

But life could be very different for him. Because Andrew Barron Murray, born in Glasgow on 15th May 1987, grew up in Dunblane, a small Scottish town famous for its 1996 primary school massacre. Andy and his older brother Jamie were at the school when their former scout leader shot and killed 16 children and a teacher before killing himself. The events of that day clearly affected Murray as he said in his autobiography: ‘I could have been one of those children.’ Fortunately he wasn’t and went on to become the ‘young warrior’, which his middle name Barron means.

Andy Murray comes from a sporty family. His granddad, Roy Erskine, was a professional footballer; his mother, Judy, is a tennis coach; and his brother, Jamie, is also a professional tennis player. He first picked up a racket aged two and started playing tennis aged five. His first tennis coach described him as ‘extremely competitive’. Andy says this was because he wanted to beat his older brother. He was a good footballer too and was invited to train with the Scottish football club Glasgow Rangers. But he decided to concentrate on tennis and moved to Barcelona, in Spain, where he could train at the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy.

In 2005, Andy Murray turned professional and won his first Association of Tennis Professionals’ title in 2006. Andy Murray’s reputation on court increased with every match he won, but his popularity off

court did not. He is frequently accused of being miserable, bad-tempered on court and of never showing his true emotions. This ‘bad boy’ image improved a little when Murray lost the Wimbledon singles final to Roger Federer in 2012 and he was unable to speak to the TV interviewer because of his disappointment. But his tweets supporting Scottish Independence during the 2014 referendum brought him further criticism.

Perhaps his lack of control is what makes him seem more human and makes many other people admire him. That and other little things like the time he bought a red Ferrari but sold it because he thought he looked stupid. Or the time he accidentally locked himself in his hotel bathroom and was almost late to collect a BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award. And the fact that he went out with his team to celebrate winning the US Open and spent £4,000, but only £3.70 on a lemon soda for himself.

Esame di Stato

12 KEEP IT REAL @ ELI – PHOTOCOPIABLE

Summary

3 Prepare a brief summary about Andy Murray. Remember to include the following information.

• why he is famous

• his childhood and life growing up

• how he became a successful tennis player

• the good and the bad sides to his character

Letter writing

4 Imagine you have just interviewed Andy Murray. Write an email to a friend and tell him / her about his incredible life. Give information about his childhood, when he started playing tennis, the special training he got, the important competitions he has won and lost. Remember to include information about what he likes and dislikes about being a famous tennis player. Tell your friend what you think about Andy Murray and his success.

Dialogue writing

2 Imagine you are interviewing Andy Murray. Follow the instructions and write the dialogue.

You Andy Murray

Saluta e di’ che sei molto contento di intervistarlo. Domandagli da dove viene.

Domandagli com’era da ragazzo.

Domandagli a che età ha iniziato a giocare a tennis.

Domandagli dove si è allenato.

Domandagli quale è stata la sua vittoria più importante e qual è stata la sua sconfitta peggiore.

Domandagli che cosa gli piace e non gli piace dell’essere un giocatore di tennis famoso.

Risponde al saluto e dice che viene dalla Scozia.

Risponde che litigava (fought) molto con suo fratello, faceva molto sport e guardava tutti i film di James Bond.

Risponde che ha cominciato a giocare a cinque anni.

Risponde che è stato allenato in Scozia e poi in una speciale scuola di tennis a Barcellona.

Risponde che la sua prima vittoria in un Grande Slam nell’US Open è stata la più importante e la sua peggiore sconfitta è stata a Wimbledon nel 2012.

Risponde che gli piace giocare tennis e vincere, ma non gli piace quando le persone lo criticano.

Workshop 5

13KEEP IT REAL @ ELI – PHOTOCOPIABLE

King Henry VIII: the True Story

Reading comprehension

1 Read the text and decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F). T F

1 Henry VIII didn’t expect to become king.

2 He could only speak English.

3 He enjoyed hunting, jousting and playing tennis.

4 He wrote a book in defence of the Catholic Church.

5 He was married to his first wife for nearly 24 years.

6 She gave him a son.

7 He probably had two genetic conditions which caused him health problems.

8 He thought his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, was really beautiful.

9 During his lifetime, King Henry reduced the Royal Navy ships from 50 to 5.

10 Henry wasn’t very rich when he died, but he owned a lot of property.

King Henry VIII of England was born on 28th June 1491 and unexpectedly became king at 17, after his brother Arthur died. He was homeschooled by excellent tutors and could speak fluent Latin and French as well as some Ancient Greek and Spanish. He was very musical: he sang, played the lute and the organ and composed music! He was a tall, strong and athletic youth who enjoyed all sorts of sports such as jousting (fighting on horseback), hunting and tennis. He was also a successful author, ironically writing a book in defence of the Catholic Church, before later separating from it and declaring himself head of the Church of England.

People know King Henry VIII had six wives, but don’t know the reasons why. He needed a son to become the next king, and after nearly 24 years with his first wife Katherine of Aragon, only one of her six babies, Mary, survived. Henry VIII probably had a rare blood type that gave him a genetic condition meaning his wives lost their babies. This blood group may also have been responsible for another genetic condition, which made him become obese and behave in a frightening and tyrannical way. Although some historians think it was because of a jousting accident which gave him serious leg injuries and some brain damage.

Whatever the real reason, King Henry split from the Catholic Church, divorced Katherine and married Anne Boleyn, who also had a daughter, Elizabeth. But he quickly turned against Anne and she was killed. His third wife, Jane Seymour, finally gave Henry a son, Edward, but she died two weeks after he was born. In Henry’s defence, his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, didn’t send him

a true picture before he married her and he was really disappointed that she didn’t look like her portrait. He reacted by saying: ‘I like her not! I like her not!’ and divorced her. He loved his fifth wife, the young Catherine Howard, but discovered her infidelity, so she too was killed. Henry’s sixth wife Catherine Parr, a widow, lived and looked after his three children, who all became English monarchs.

In his lifetime Henry VIII established the Church of England; founded a permanent Royal Navy, taking its ships from 5 to 50; built palaces, fortresses and colleges and became increasingly involved in government. But he also lived in such a luxurious way that he had many debts when he died, but still owned 50 palaces and large collections of tapestries, musical instruments and guns.

Esame di Stato

Hampton Court, Palace home of Henry VIII

14

Esame di Stato

KEEP IT REAL @ ELI – PHOTOCOPIABLE

Summary

3 Prepare a brief summary about King Henry VIII. Remember to include the following information.

• when he was born and why he became king

• his education, skills and hobbies as a young man

• his six wives and children and what happened to them

• how his character changed and what he left behind him when he died

Letter writing

4 Imagine you have just interviewed King Henry VIII. Write an email to a friend and tell him / her about his incredible life. Give information about why and when he became king, the education he received, other things he learnt as a young man and about his marriages. Remember to include information about what he liked and disliked about being king. Tell your friend what you think about King Henry VIII and his character.

Dialogue writing

2 Imagine you are interviewing King Henry VIII. Follow the instructions and write the dialogue.

You King Henry VIII

Saluta e di’ che sei molto contento di intervistarlo. Domandagli quando è diventato Re d’Inghilterra.

Domandagli se ha sempre voluto essere re.

Domandagli che tipo di istruzione ha ricevuto.

Domandagli cos’altro ha imparato da giovane re.

Domandagli se è vero che ha avuto sei mogli.

Domandagli cosa gli piaceva e cosa detestava dell’essere re.

Risponde al saluto e dice che è diventato Re d’Inghilterra nel 1509, quando aveva 17 anni.

Risponde di no. Era sicuro che suo fratello Arthur stava per diventare re, ma poi è morto.

Risponde che è stato educato a casa dai migliori precettori (tutors) d’Europa.

Risponde che ha imparato a cavalcare, giocare a tennis, tirare con l’arco (archery), andare a caccia e ballare.

Risponde di sì.

Risponde che la cosa migliore era fare sempre ciò che voleva e la cosa peggiore era preoccuparsi per il futuro del suo paese.

Workshop 5